Pocketknife



S. G. MALBY.

POCKET KNIFE.

FILED FEB-3,1921.

Mar. 27, 1923.

Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

UNITED stares SETH G. MALBY, OF DERBYQCONNECTICUT.

rooKErKNIFE. v 3

Application filed February 3, 1921. Serial No. 4423119.

T 0 all in 7mm it 722 ag concern Be it known that I, SETH G. MALBY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Derby, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pocketknives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has as its main object to provide a pocket knife, or like article of folding cutlery, the blade of which is firmly grasped and supported laterally at the shank when opened, thus materially strengthening the same.

A further object is to provide a handle having integral sides, shaped to present a graceful and pleasing appearance, embodying strength and capable of being constructed at a moderate cost.

These objects are attained by the nove design, construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a material part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a pocket knife made in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the same.

Figure 3 is a similar view thereof but showing oneof the blades extended.

Figure 1 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the joint between the blade and sides slightly accentuated.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the

-' numeral 10 designates a pair of metal handle sides, shaped in the usual manner with smoothly rounded edges and provided with the usual recesses 11 and 12 permitting access to the blades, which are of conventional type.

Engaged between the handle sides, at the back of the knife is a spring 141- shaped in conformity with the handle sides and filling the space therebetween, the spring being held at its center by a fastening 15 passing through the handle elements.

The blades 16 and 17, respectively large and small, are provided with nail nicks 18, adjacent the recesses 12 when closed and are pivoted at their shanks 16 and 17 near the ends of the handle on the centrally enlarged bodies 19 of shouldered studs which act as spacers between the handle sides, in one of which their outer ends are riveted, as shown in Figure 4, their inner, similarly reduced ends being internally screw-thread ed to receive the binding screws 19 the heads of which are countersunk in the other handle side.

It will be understood that these shanks are suited to engage with the squared flat ends of the spring 14, being held rigidly extended thereby when in an open position forming a smooth and level joint, and are rounded on their outer corners so as to easily pass over the inner side of the spring in opening and closing.

The description thus far is applicable in general to any high class pocket or pen knife having one piece side elements, the invent-ion consisting in forming integral nibs orreduced extensions 20 at each end on both sides, these nibs each being slightly ini turned, their opposed inner faces being convergingly inclined presenting an opening narrowing from its extremity 21 to a point 22 in register with the end of the spring 1 1, the shank of the blade having smooth sides with which the, nib faces make resilient clamping contact.

In operation, when either blade is opened, its shank forces the projections to spring outwardly, the handle sides assuming a position in which minute bowed cavities 23 occur immediately adjacent the pivot, as indicated in a magnified degree in Figure 4;, while the extreme end of the blade shank and its portion between the ends of the extensions are held in compression by the pivotal stud 19 and screw 19 clamping the blade and supporting it in anadequate manner against lateral strain.

While the preferred embodiment has been shown and described, it is apparent that operation, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Pocket cutlery comprising a blade having a shank, a pair of opposed one-piece handle sides to which said blade is pivotally connected, said handle sides being tapered at their ends intermediate the cutting edge of said blade and its point of pivotal connection with said handle sides to form a pair of relatively short resilient nibs decreasing in thickness toward their ends from their point of connection with said handle sides, the inner faces of said nibs being convergingly inclined and adapted to yieldably engage at their extreme ends the shank of said blade and laterally support the same when moved from its folded position to-an eX- tended position, and a spring interposed between the handle sides forming; the back of the handle, said spring being adapted to engage the shank of said blade and tending to retain the same in either its folded or extended position.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature to this specification.

SETH G. MALRY. 

